Michael Paul

Michael C. Paul was born in Missouri and studied history and political science in Kansas and at the University of Miami. His short stories and illustrations have appeared in The Door, Satire, and My Friend, among other publications. He lives in the Washington, DC area.

Stories illustrated by Michael Paul

The odd creature came to my door at ten PM last night. He was a little over five feet tall, colored a light blue with a bald dome. I say he, but I wasn’t really sure because “he” had no obvious male muscular development, but didn’t have any hips to speak of either. Somehow he …

“I’ll take them in size nine,” I said. The shop assistant in the origami shirt looked up from where he’d folded himself into a squat. “Are you sure?” He had a lisp. He expected me to go with the size sixes on my feet. From the distance of a stranger he had a point. They …

“It’s a great release. You know, getting in the gym and exerting your dominance,” said the crimson beauty across the table from me. She sat, legs cross, with a plate of wintergreen lettuce leaves in front of her. “I can only imagine,” I said. We sat in the middle of a compact Italian restaurant, tables nearly bumping …

Lisa flipped on the switch and blinked as the dungeon flooded with light. The smell clogged her nostrils, musty with a reek of chlorine, and she set the air-con to low. Clear out a few cobwebs, like. She checked her watch. Plenty of time for the room to freshen up. She exhaled with relief, hated …